Communication devices are widely used as entertainment units through various value-added services. For example, users can download audio and video files, as well as other entertainment files, to their communication devices from the Internet. To restrict access to these entertainment files, Digital Rights Management (DRM) is gaining wide popularity. DRM ensures that only users with valid permissions are able to access protected entertainment files. Typically, users can access protected entertainment files by paying for them. One application of entertainment files is their use as ring tones. Users can periodically change their selected ring tones to, for example, distinguish callers or simply for variety.
There are various existing techniques for playing protected entertainment files as ring tones on communication devices. However, existing techniques involve multilevel authentication of entertainment files, which causes processing delays and inefficient operation. Moreover, by using these existing techniques, users cannot play a DRM protected entertainment file both as a ring tone as well as music unless they purchase one version of the entertainment content for use as a ring tone and another version of the entertainment content for use as music.
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